248: Funding Tourism in Arkansas with Steve Arrison and JR Shaw

Listen to an insightful conversation with two dynamic leaders in the tourism industry - Steve Arrison, CEO at Visit Hot Springs, and JR Shaw, Executive Director of Destination Rogers and Executive Vice President of the Rogers-Lowell Chamber. These guests share their expertise and insights on topics like collaborating with nearby destinations to drive visitation, emphasizing the importance of building partnerships and leveraging the strengths of your competitors to create a more robust tourism experience for visitors. The discussion also delves into Arkansas' unique way of funding their tourism organizations through lodging tax, and how this has enabled these destinations to invest in their tourism infrastructure and attract more visitors. Furthermore, the conversation takes a deep dive into a difficult employment situation that Steve Arrison faced in Visit Hot Springs, a destination with a low population and high visitation. Join Adam for an engaging and thought-provoking discussion that highlights the importance of collaboration, creativity, and innovation in the tourism industry.

You can have those mechanisms as much as you want but unless there's a plan, unless there's solid marketing, unless there's a strategy, unless there are partners out there that can collaborate with the state . . . then everybody's going off in their own different directions and you don't get that unified voice that you need to have."
- Steve Arrison

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The Destination Marketing Podcast is a part of the Destination Marketing Podcast Network. It is hosted by Adam Stoker and produced by Relic. If you are interested in any of Relic’s services,  please email [email protected] or visit www.relicagency.com. 

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